Whilst not wishing to cause alarm, this publication feels that those in the library profession have a right to know. The silent introduction of microsatellite libraries is yet further proof of the insidious capacity of technology to impact on our lives, our profession, and ultimately on wider and future society.

Chatsworth, CA based enterprise GIS does not appear to be at all embarrassed when it calmly advertises the fact that it has developed and is marketing microsatellite libraries that have "four motifs including 100 sequences and primer design". The company quite blatantly states on its website that they "produce highly-enriched libraries in a matter of weeks by a specially-trained staff of laboratory technicians". In fact, they are being promoted by Google Ads.

However, this isn't causing as much concern as the emergence of mysterious "special provisions" that apply apparently only to school library staff in one particular Australian state. Apparently (again), this permits those staff to be required to be on duty for up to 10 hours a day, compared to 6 or 7 hours - depending on who you ask, and who's doing the asking - for their classroom colleagues working under the same industrial award.

There has already been one verifiable incident where a Teacher Librarian (MLS) was handed a resignation form whilst attempting to discuss issues of equity and workplace justice.

At the time of writing, further details of those "special provisions" are still awaited from the Teachers' union, who originally notified this. But geez, when email starts to get monitored, and people get suspended from duty, you have to wonder what else is going on ...

More >>>>>

Writing in Library Journal, Ralph Munn, former Director of Carnegie Library of Pittsburg, has warned against hiring men to work in libraries. Possibly the fact that the warning was issued nearly 60 years ago would explain why there is not current outrage over this discrimination.

Library Director Andy Stewart of the C. L. Wilson Library, UM-Rolla came across this 1949 article in their archives. Although Steward doesn't acknowledge the fact, he was most likely looking for something else, which is the usual way that hugely interesting information gems are often unearthed.

Munn's article notes (amongst other facts) the poorly paid conditions of library workers, and observes that "to a single woman without dependents, the [salary] will bring the necessities of life and a few of the frills. To a professional man with a family the [salary] is barely enough to clear the poverty line".

Clearly Munn was unable to predict conditions in 2007, and would have been completely unaware of the escalation in relative prices of a good cappuccino with a generous slab of baked cheesecake, or its metric equivalent in rabbit food. And that's without even considering the cost of other necessities such as comfortable yet stylish library shoes for women ...

Read Munn's article >>>>>

Complex administrative procedures could jeopardise a low-expenditure trial in the provision of alternative reading material to reluctant readers, who for reasons who best known to themselves and their destructive and noisy friends, insist on inhabiting one particular library.

Although the magazines were purchased some weeks ago, have been accessioned, barcoded and security-tagged, they are still in the workroom awaiting movement to a prominent position in the library. The delay has been caused by having to wait for the attachment of two hooks into a wall for mounting a display rack.

Maybe it isn't the fight for truth, justice, and accurate cataloging that grinds the profession down. The minuate of library life can be just as wearing ...

No more to read here >>

The last few weeks have certainly been a White Knuckle Ride for "some folk", but not in that Disneyland, stand-in-a queue, fun sort of way. "Protein spilling", sure.

Much as we'd like to provide more details here, you're going to have to wait until the book is published. Which, of course, requires that it be written first, a publisher with guts is found, contracts drawn up, another source of income is identified for the author, and so on.

So it might not be coming for a while ...

Many thanks to Eileen Dunstone of Lake Tuggeranong College (ACT) for her frank admission that she couldn't help herself when a student asked "Do you have a book on, like, dinosaurs?" She replied, "What's a like dinosaur?"

WLW recommends that all library folk can easily address the requirements of modern idiom, until publishers catch up with readers' needs. With the magic of graphics programs and label makers - and providing you've got nothing better to do - you can amend all your book titles as shown pictured here.

"A Guide to, like, Shakespeare"; "The Guinness Book of, like, World Records"; "Roget's, like, Brontosaurus" ...

No more to read here >>

The satirist who writes nothing but satire should write but little - or it will seem that his satire springs rather from his own caustic nature than from the sins of the world in which he lives.

Anthony Trollope, Autobiography of Anthony Trollope, 1883.

More quotes >>>

By Golly, we'd dearly like to publish a number of extracts from mail that's been received since the last edition. Unfortunately much of it carries confidentiality warnings, which given the nature of the contents isn't surprising.

Suffice to say at the moment, it will all Come Out in The Wash, eventually. The way we figure it, you shouldn't put anything in writing unless you're prepared to have it possibly produced in a court of law at some time in the future. Confidentiality clauses carry no weight when documents are subpoenaed under due process.

Which probably explains why many 'potential correspondents' have not responded to requests for further information about many different, but related, issues. But doesn't explain why phone calls aren't returned ...

No more to read here >>